Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  The mention of the Atlantean Council brought a frown to Evan’s face. The Atlantean War Council, as it was referred to among the mages, was not a pleasant thought and neither was the sudden reminder that the woman before him was the daughter of one of the men who sat on that council. It had taken him days to sort out the information he’d read from his Master’s books on the Weres and their true natures. Only a select few were privy to such information. Not even his friends knew what he knew and he’d sworn not to tell them.

  “As I was saying,” Kira’s voice was a bit harsh as she continued. “The ancient ones tied themselves to species of animals on the planet. By trial and error they discovered only mammals and birds had the necessary power in them to support the bonding. While it was possible to bond to a reptile, the cold-blooded nature of the creature, the lack of advanced thought processes were disastrous to the Were. They went mad, either unable to function or allowing the predatory instincts of the creature to take control. Our ancestors were forced to kill several out of mercy or to protect others from the mindless killers they became. But those who bonded to the mammals and birds survived and were able to transform back at will.

  “They were changed, taking on some of the characteristics of their animal form. Our people were not so different from humans in that we formed families, we reared our children and cared for our aged and sick. For some, that changed. The felis and corvus drew away from the traditional family units while the lupias, the canias, the delphinae and others pulled closer to it. We were never very hierarchical as a people but that changed for all of us with the bonding. Especially those who bonded with the wolf.” Kira touched each ray on the circle as she spoke. “Lupias, ursis, delphin, orcinas, falcos, aquilas, leonidae, tigridae, felis, canias, corvus, pardus and polaris. We make up the Council.”

  “Excuse me?” Evan looked at her blankly. “Lupias? Orcinas? What was that list you just rattled off?”

  She sighed. “Wolves, Bears, Dolphins, Orcas, Falcons, Eagles, Lions, Tigers, Cougars, Coyotes, Ravens, Leopards and the Polaris—what you would call a polar bear. Those are your names for the creatures with which we bonded. Those others are our words for ourselves. I am semiraht-lupias. I am Wolf.”

  Evan looked back at the drawing of the circle. He frowned and touched one of the spokes of the wheel that Kira had not mentioned. “There are fifteen here, you listed only thirteen. Were these the reptiles? The species blends that didn’t work?”

  She was silent and he felt a slight tremble begin in her. “No,” she said. Her voice was almost inaudible. “The blending worked but these branches are no longer with us.” She stroked the two pie-shaped segments, one a dull green and one a faint blue. This was the greatest pain of her people, the one secret they guarded from humanity—particularly the mages.

  “What happened to them?” Evan’s curiosity was piqued.

  “That’s not important,” Kira evaded. Her heart told her she could trust Evan, he wouldn’t betray them. But her mind told her it was foolish to take the chance. He was a mage.

  Evan frowned. “When you say they are no longer with you what does that mean?” When she didn’t answer but began to roll up the diagram he stopped her, placing his hand over hers. “Kira, what do you mean? Are they not with the Council? Are there rogue species of Weres out there?”

  “There are no Weres outside the control of the Council, Evan. We have a lot to cover and I promised to have it done by tonight.” She slipped the paper into its tubular container and set it aside.

  The thought hit Evan hard. These branches are no longer with us. He tried to remember the shapes and figures drawn on the diagram. One had been a broad four-legged figure with three curving shapes coming up from the head. The other had been a sea creature of some kind that had looked almost bovine except for its paddle shaped tail. “Kira, what were the species those groups joined to?”

  “Evan, there are some things you don’t need to know.” She reached for a very large leather-bound book and slid it into place over the center of the map.

  “You said you would answer all my questions but now it seems the truth is you’ll answer the ones you want to.” He hated the voice inside him that began to wonder what was so secret she was hiding it from him. Hated the piece that began to mistrust. That she would hide it from him, from the man who was destined to be her… The wolf in him howled loudly at him as he pushed away the idea. There was no such thing as destiny when it came to two people. He’d learned that young. The person he’d thought then was meant to be his forever had loved someone else. And even though both she and this other love believed they were destined for each other, it hadn’t quite turned out that way.

  Kira said nothing but began flipping through the pages of the book. She struggled to make a decision but her choice here affected more than her and her family. It affected more than the Wolves. It affected them all, all Weres. She’d be handing the mages the weapon they needed to destroy them all. She’d be placing their lives in the hands of this man.

  Evan put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. “Kira what happened to the other two branches? What animals did they bind to?”

  It all rode on her ability to judge this man and she hoped she’d not been wrong. “The answer is dangerous, Evan. If I tell you I put more at risk than you could know. If I tell you I put you at risk. If anyone found out that you had this information they would stop at nothing until you and I, were dead.”

  His heart rate jumped as he read the depth of her fear. “Kira, I’m not going to tell anyone. I swear it. I know how to keep secrets.”

  She sighed and placed her hand over his. “Evan, there are things I need to tell you that are far more important. Trust me but more importantly please respect the position I am in. I trust you and what I feel makes me want to share all the burdens I carry with you. But this is not mine to share.” The unquestionable authority radiated from her. A part of him wanted to insist on answers but the wolf reacted to her and sought not to submit but to appease. Unsatisfied Evan nodded and let her continue.

  She showed him a large document that folded out from a page in the book. The writing was old but it was in Latin. Latin he could read. “This was transcribed from the original. No one is quite sure what language it was.”

  “I recognize some of this, Kira. This name for example, it’s the man non-gifted lore holds as the father of the vampire,” he pointed to the word, “here Dracul, his son became known as Dracula. Dracul meant devil and Dracula meant son of the devil.”

  “Yes but it also meant something else. Dracul also meant dragon. In the early fifteenth century the Holy Roman Emperor founded the Order of the Dragon to uphold and fight for the church. The name Dracul and Dracula came from that order. Are you with me?” She watched his face to see if he followed.

  He frowned at her. “Kira, I’m not a child. I can read this scroll probably as well as you can. I also know my own lore. The Order of the Dragon were gifted, they were mages.”

  He continued her story for her, “Vlad Dracula had two brothers, when the Holy Roman Empire lost control of Walachia, the true homeland of the Dracul, the family was forced out as well. The Order turned against them, blaming them for the loss.”

  He was surprised when she flipped a few pages into the book and pointed to a picture. “This drawing is that of Dracul and the three boys. During the battle for the throne that followed, now an outcast among the mages, Dracul sent his two younger boys, Vlad and Radu to Turkey for protection.”

  “I know. Vlad Dracula, the son, would eventually regain the throne by selling out his father and older brother while pretending his loyalties had always been to the Holy Roman Emperor. He even helped them in their war against Turkey. Part of the Crusades.” Evan leaned back against the table. “Why this history lesson? What has the legend of Dracula to do with anything, Kira?”

  “Not Vlad Dracula, no. We are actually interested here in his youngest brother, Radu. When Vlad returned to his throne, Radu stayed in Turkey
. He refused to return and forgive the mages for what they had done. Moreover he knew his brother for what he was. Many years later when Turkey invaded again, Radu led part of the army against his brother. He cornered Vlad in the family castle. He managed to escape with the help of some peasants. Radu had heard of the horrible actions of his brother and sought to stop him.”

  Evan nodded. “Like inviting all the poor to a feast and then locking the door and setting the place on fire. He later claimed he did it so no one in his land would ever be poor. Of course there were the ever-popular impalings. He seemed to think it a suitable punishment for every offense no matter how small.” He shifted his weight. This was interesting. In other circumstances he’d be thrilled to sit around and discuss this with her but he failed to see the urgency in this.

  “I do have a point, Evan. Truly I do.” She resumed the tale, “These weren’t just stories, lies made up later to vilify one’s enemy. After he was driven out of the castle, Vlad was so angry at the betrayal that he sought the help of dark creatures. The demons from the other realm. They helped him lay his hands on a very powerful book of spells. Those that were restricted to the highest of the mages, the spells that worked blood magic. These blood magics required more than the spilling of blood, they demanded the sacrifice of the soul. Here the legends were right. Vlad Dracula sold his soul to the demons for immortality and revenge. But he miscalculated. He arrogantly assumed he could contain the magic and control the demons.

  “He couldn’t. He lived to see what he thought he wanted. The demon possessed a young Wolf.” She turned her blue eyes to him and gave a sad shake of her head. “The time between first transformation and the ritual that makes a young Wolf an adult is one of great danger. That’s why Alexi’s daughter remains here with us under tight protection until the hunt. Until she reaches her first full moon she is vulnerable to the demons.”

  Evan’s head was spinning as he tried to digest all she was telling him. He certainly hadn’t expected this. After a moment of silence he gathered his thoughts in line. “Why Kira? Why does the moon protect her?”

  “It doesn’t protect her exactly. How it works to settle the binding of the two natures together we don’t know. But it does.” Kira redrew his attention to her story by again pointing at Radu Dracul.

  “The demon took the young Wolf’s body, transformed and attacked the young mage. When he did he passed, for the first time in recorded history, the family talent to a human. These aren’t stories, Evan.” Kira’s voice sounded agitated and her tension was evident as much in her tone as in the tightness of her shoulders. “These aren’t stories. This is your history, this is our history. This is the history of our family.”

  She turned several more pages. “The young Wolf felt badly for what had happened. He barely survived the mage’s defenses, which drove out the demon and destroyed it. His family discovered what had happened, sought to help the boy and his victim. Wolves made a decision, they took Radu in. The mage became enamored with one of the then Alpha’s daughters.” She came to rest on the sketched image of a young woman. Her face was smiling and serene. “They thought that it was better to keep him close. The young woman was drawn to him, it is said that despite it all they were cerieshe and that that alone stopped her father from killing the mage outright. They were allowed to marry. We learned a few months later that possessing only a portion of the Wolf was a dangerous thing. He managed to kill a few innocent people and to pass the curse on to several more before we were able to stop him. It seems not all of the souls of the Ancient Ones have learned from their many lifetimes. Or perhaps they have simply learned the wrong lessons.”

  “You say we as if you were there.” Evan studied the girl’s face. She bore a strong resemblance to Kira.

  She chuckled, “I’m not that old Evan. But this girl, Tatia, she was a direct ancestor of mine. That is why your Alpha sent you to us, is it not? Your Lawrence Ryder sent you to find the descendents of Radu Dracul.”

  “I don’t know. He never told me why I was seeking you. I assumed you were the only ones. He must have sent me to you because you are the oldest of the packs.” He raised his eyes to her face and saw her shake her head.

  “Not packs, Evan. Families. We are not the ‘oldest’, we are the Family. All others came from us. All others owe their allegiance to us. Not all give it, there are some who resist. But they are few.”

  She walked away from Evan to stand before an enormous framed document that covered the entire front wall of the room. Evan had noticed it when he came in earlier, it was a family tree of sorts. He pushed off from the table and followed her. “This is the line? The line of the blood Wolf?”

  “No Evan,” she answered as she reached for a switch on the wall and the parchment seemed to scroll upwards, “It is the line of us all. Curse wolf and blood Wolf. All of us, we are all here.”

  He stared at the yellowed paper as it moved slowly up past lines and boxes holding names of those like him. “How is this possible? How do you keep it going?”

  “That is my job. One day it will fall to another. Most likely to Katerina. She shows the…talent for it.” She stepped close to the document, which had ceased to move. Looking close Evan could see how the document had been pieced together. Several pieces of paper had been joined to add room for the additions.

  He looked at her face and saw a struggle played out there. Her body was tensed and he felt her anxiety as if it were a mist in the room, seeping into him, chilling him. She was hesitating.

  Standing before the frame, she drew a deep breath. She had been wasting time. She knew this. She hadn’t really needed to tell him the entire history but was grasping at some way to tell him the rest. Tell him the part that involved him personally. There was no way. She simply had to do it.

  “Here, Evan, here is Tatia. She bore two sons and two daughters by Dracul. If you follow this line,” she moved her finger down the crossing of solid lines, “you come to us.”

  Just as she said, directly descended from the line of this woman, at the bottommost visible portion of the frame was Stanislav Gregoravitch. Something troubled him about this, there weren’t enough lines, enough boxes to account for the time. Only one generation?

  Kira had stepped back and was holding a large, leather-covered box. She looked up at him. “Ask your question, Evan.”

  “Kira, this isn’t possible. There’s a mistake here. This shows too few generations. These dates aren’t possible. They’d make your father…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. The truth was in her face.

  “Stanislav Gregoravitch is four hundred and twenty-four years old, Evan. Alexander Gregoravitch is three hundred and twenty-five years old. I am two hundred and sixty-five years old.” Her eyes did not blink and her expression did not waver.

  Evan’s mind spun in circles. This was simply the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Yes, the mages lived extremely long lives compared to other humans—if they managed not to kill each other—but this was insane. He heard Alexi’s words in his mind. Just a shade over two hundred. A bit more than a shade, but he had been telling the truth.

  He stepped back from her, putting him closer to the frame. She watched him shake his head. This was bad. If he was reacting this way to this, the rest was going to be horrific.

  “Evan?” He simply stared at her. “Evan, are you all right? We just age differently. This has no bearing on you. You will age as a human ages. It is only the blood Wolf who lives as we do. True that door could be open to you but…”

  “Kira, if this is some kind of a joke?” he cut her off.

  She sighed and motioned for him to move next to the table. She had opened the box and was removing a small miniature. It bore her likeness, painted on a small oval that could be displayed or worn as a brooch. She handed it to him. It was obviously very old. “This was painted in Vienna. I had been sent to be company for Her Imperial and Royal Highness Hermine Amalie Marie, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess Royal of
Hungary and Bohemia. She was my friend until her death. She was only twenty-four.”

  “Kira, you’re telling me you were alive in the 1800s? That you were at this royal court?” What was she pulling? What kind of game was this? “How is that possible?”

  She was trying to be patient but his continued refusal to believe her was making her angry. Not that he believed she’d lie to him but his continued refusal to listen to what his mind and body were telling him. He knew this was the truth. If he’d stop thinking like a human and listen to the wolf in him, he’d know she was telling the truth. “Evan, I’ve seen a great many things. We are very long-lived.”

  She pulled a succession of photographs from the bottom of the box. Each showed her almost unchanged from the girl before him, yet time had moved on through this series of photos that transitioned from black and white to color. His eyes flickered from the images to her face and back. Suddenly it clicked into place. Everything he was seeing and sensing clicked into place. He knew she was telling the truth. She wasn’t lying. Everything about her told him this. She was truly as old as she claimed.

  “Kira, it’s okay. You can stop. I believe you. It’s hard to fathom but I know you’re telling me the truth.” He ran his hand nervously through his hair. They could transform at will, there was no pain in their transformations, they lived well with every imaginable comfort and they were damned near immortal. They were nothing like him no matter what she said. Nothing like those for whom this life was indeed a curse.

  Kira knew he believed her. He didn’t need to hear it all now. Later if he remained with them, if he still wanted to see or speak to her, she could share the knowledge of this room and the history she had seen with him.

  She leaned back against the table. “Evan? Are you still okay?” He looked pale and angry.